'LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars' (3DS)

It's fair to say that we were more than a little impressed with the console version of LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. Featuring epic battles on a grand scale, varied missions, comprehensive multiplayer and countless unlockables, we felt that the latest installment in the LEGO franchise was "a culmination of Traveler's Tales' previous efforts" and "the best entry in the series to date". If the developers could shrink this winning formula down to handheld proportions and jazz up the visuals with a little 3D magic, then we would surely have the standout game of the 3DS launch on our hands - or in them. Unfortunately, while by no means a bad game, LEGO Star Wars III is scaled-down, simplified and stripped of multiplayer, essentially losing a large chunk of what made its big screen counterpart such a storming success. On the plus side, most people will know what to expect from a LEGO Star Wars game, and it still features all of the humor and charm of its forebears, as well as some impressive level design and accessible, pick up and play gaming mechanics.

The game takes place during the Clone Wars era, lifting scenes and storylines directly from seasons one and two of the animated series. In order to get the most out of the plot, a knowledge of the source material is recommended, otherwise certain cutscenes and in-jokes will fail to register. Plus the game features characters such Ahsoka Tano, Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress, who may not be familiar to those with only a rudimentary knowledge of the Star Wars universe. Regardless of whether you completely understand what's going on - or more specifically who everybody is - the cutscenes are still hilarious and highly entertaining. Watching droids moon Jedi Knights behind the safety of locked doors or Anakin mocking female drivers is priceless.

The controls are also excellent. Different character types have different skills and strengths, but the highly-intuitive control setup is extremely easy to grasp, so even with multiple characters on the books, things never become overwhelming. Attacks, jumps, building LEGO, force powers and unique abilities are mapped to the face buttons, while changing characters is achieved by hitting the Left and Right shoulder buttons. Only when the game introduces touchscreen elements do things become slightly awkward. Certain doors need a helping hand from a lightsabre, which means players either fumble away for the stylus in order to draw a circle on the bottom screen or cover the console in prints by doing it with fingers or thumbs. There are also some touchscreen hacking puzzles, which involve matching rotating LEGO blocks within a set period of time. Again, clumsily grabbing for a stylus isn't ideal, making the puzzles more of an irritant than anything else.

Unfortunately, the in-game puzzles aren't much better either, offering very little in the way of a challenge. Most involve hitting switches, blowing things up or building LEGO in order to create a bridge, platform or grapple point. This wouldn't be so bad if the developers had left it up the player to figure out, but instead the game points out the correct character for each puzzle. Combine this with the fact that it's impossible to fail a level in any way thanks to instant reincarnation, and playing through the game becomes a breeze. It also makes the action incredibly repetitive, and almost every level involves running and gunning or hacking at everything that moves. When you consider that there are 13 levels of this, LEGO Star Wars starts to become a game best played in small doses.

On the plus side, the level design is excellent and each stage has lots of secrets and hidden areas to explore, which are often only accessible with alternative characters in free-play mode. There are also a few stages set in space, featuring intergalactic dog fights in handy little fighter ships. These missions, although infrequent, are exciting, and, thanks to the wonderfully responsive analogue slider, a real joy to play - it's just a shame that they are a bit too easy. Other stages involve lots of intertwining action seen from multiple perspectives, which helps to inject a bit of pace into the game. Innocently blowing something up and seeing how it allowed another band of characters to move forward is well implemented and a nice touch.

Graphics have never been the series' strong point, but the 3DS version looks as good as anything you would have seen on the PS2 or original Xbox. Unfortunately, the 3D is fairly nonexistent in general play, with the exception of the odd bit of scenery sticking out every now and then. The levels in space, on the other hand, are a different matter altogether. Spaceships fly through the screen, while lasers and LEGO debris come crashing out at all angles. There's certainly potential for a good 3D version of Rogue Squadron, that's for sure. The cutscenes are also very well drawn and animated, but again fail to make much use of the console's 3D.

Undoubtedly the biggest oversight, however, is the complete lack of co-operative multiplayer. For a franchise famed for its sublime two-player shenanigans, to withdraw such a feature is a crime only Palpatine would be willing to commit - made worse by the fact that the 3DS works perfectly well online. What developers have against the handheld's online functionality is beyond us - Asphalt 3D, Ridge Racer, Ghost Recon are just a few of the games to ignore the 3DS's Wi-Fi abilites, but at least these games have some semblance of multiplayer. The game does make minor use of the console's StreetPass feature and collecting LEGO studs as you pass other players is handy for purchasing new items in the shop, although hardly the most innovative use of the feature to date.

Like all good portable games, LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is great in small doses. It features some excellent level design, accessible gameplay and all the charm and wit that makes the series so adorable. There's also plenty to see and do, with countless levels, mini-games and unlockables, making the title incredible value for money. Unfortunately, the lack of multiplayer is a major omission, while the overly-simplified puzzles and general lack of difficulty makes it hard to recommend the game to anybody with a few years of gaming experience under their belt. LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is by no means a failure of Jar Jar Binks proportions, but it's got some way to go before reaching true Jedi status.